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Effects of Different Colors of Light on Human Physiology

The recruitment status of this study is unknown because the information has not been verified recently.
Verified January 2010 by Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Recruitment status was  Active, not recruiting
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
Information provided by:
Brigham and Women's Hospital
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00200863
First received: September 12, 2005
Last updated: January 12, 2010
Last verified: January 2010
History of Changes
  Purpose

This study will determine which color of light is most effective in stimulating a range of biological functions in humans including activation of sleep-wake regulatory system (alertness, performance, microsleeps, brain activity), activation of the nervous system (heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate), and shifting the timing of the internal 24-hour (circadian) pacemaker.


Condition Intervention
Healthy
Circadian Rhythm
 Device: Monochromatic visible light exposure

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: Mechanism Underlying the Effects of Blue Light in Humans

Further study details as provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Subjective alertness prior to, during and after light exposure [ Time Frame: 9.5 hours ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Auditory psychomotor performance prior to, during and after light exposure [ Time Frame: 9.5 hours ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • EEG power frequency prior to, during and after light exposure [ Time Frame: 9.5 hours ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Plasma melatonin and cortisol prior to, during and after light exposure [ Time Frame: 60 hours ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate and temperature prior to, during and after light exposure [ Time Frame: 9.5 hours ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Urinary catecholamines prior to, during and after light exposure [ Time Frame: 32 hours ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Estimated Enrollment: 48
Study Start Date: January 2005
Estimated Study Completion Date: July 2010
Estimated Primary Completion Date: March 2008 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Experimental: 1
420 nm light
 Device: Monochromatic visible light exposure
Monochromatic light in the visible range from 420-620 nm up to 60uW/cm2 for 6.5 hours
Experimental: 2
480 nm
 Device: Monochromatic visible light exposure
Monochromatic light in the visible range from 420-620 nm up to 60uW/cm2 for 6.5 hours
Experimental: 3
507 nm
 Device: Monochromatic visible light exposure
Monochromatic light in the visible range from 420-620 nm up to 60uW/cm2 for 6.5 hours
Experimental: 4
555 nm
 Device: Monochromatic visible light exposure
Monochromatic light in the visible range from 420-620 nm up to 60uW/cm2 for 6.5 hours
Experimental: 5
620 nm
 Device: Monochromatic visible light exposure
Monochromatic light in the visible range from 420-620 nm up to 60uW/cm2 for 6.5 hours
Experimental: 6
460 nm
 Device: Monochromatic visible light exposure
Monochromatic light in the visible range from 420-620 nm up to 60uW/cm2 for 6.5 hours

Detailed Description:

Light has long been proposed to have a stimulatory effect on a range of biological functions in humans including increased feelings of activation, such as improved alertness or ability to perform. The mechanisms underlying how light stimulates these neurobiological systems remain to be elucidated. We propose to investigate the effects of different colors of light on human physiology, and in particular, test the claims that specific colors of light preferentially stimulate neurobiological, physiological and hormonal systems. Using classical photobiological techniques, we will construct action spectra for the effects of different colors of light on a range of non-image forming responses in humans.

We will test the hypotheses that: 1) light-induced activation of the neurobiological sleep-wake regulatory system, as indicated by increased alertness, faster reaction time, suppression of EEG alpha activity, microsleeps and slow rolling eye movements, and suppression of pineal melatonin, is most sensitive to retinal exposure to short wavelength blue light (460 nm) compared to equal photons of other colors of visible light; 2) light-induced activation of autonomic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis measures of arousal, as indicated by increased heart rate variability, core body temperature, blood pressure, respiration rate, plasma cortisol levels and urinary catecholamines, is most sensitive to exposure to short wavelength blue light (460 nm) compared to equal photons of other colors; 3) phase shifts of the human circadian pacemaker, as assessed by changes in temperature, melatonin and cortisol rhythms, are most sensitive to exposure to short wavelength blue light (460 nm) compared to equal photons of other colors. The resultant action spectra will help to identify the photoreceptor mechanism(s) by which light activates arousal and circadian resetting, these non-image-forming physiological responses and enable us to distinguish between major candidate photoreceptive mechanisms, including potential novel photoreceptor systems, that might mediate such responses.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years to 30 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   Yes
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Free from any acute, chronic or debilitating medical, psychological, or ophthalmological conditions
  • Drug-free (including caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol) for entire study duration

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of drug or alcohol dependency
  • History of psychiatric illnesses or evidence of psychopathology according to standardized questionnaires, or in a structured clinical interview
  • Night shift work during the past 3 years
  • Transmeridian travel in the last 3 months
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00200863

Locations
United States, Massachusetts
Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
Sponsors and Collaborators
Brigham and Women's Hospital
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Steven W Lockley, Ph.D. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  More Information

No publications provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital

Additional publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):

Responsible Party: Steven W. Lockley, Ph.D., Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00200863     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: R01 AT002129-01, R01AT002129-01
Study First Received: September 12, 2005
Last Updated: January 12, 2010
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital:
light
wavelength
action spectrum
circadian
 melatonin
alertness
performance
arousal

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 19, 2013